Oct 12, 2007

I have a number of neighbors whose efforts to handle the annual falling of leaves can best be described as "combative." Pictured is the temporary fence one of my nmilitant eighbors erects each year in her hopes of providing a security barrier against dreaded leaf blow-back.

I have other gladiatorial anti-leaf neighbors who run their riding mowers with the leaf vacuum attachment every other day from the end of September through the beginning of December, staying on near-constant patrol against the invading leaf menace.

I, however, see little use in such extreme measures against a biological foe that will always win. I prefer to run the lawnmower two or three times in the fall, grinding the leaves up as mulch for the lawn. Come mid-November, when all the leaves have fallen and the city's leaf trucks are expected, I rake the rest up into a few curbside piles. Any leftovers sit until spring.

Voila! I expend much less effort, provide my lawn and garden with extra nutrients, and have more time available for the truly important things in life, such as spending an hour online researching the best radar detector or feeding my fantasy football addiction by scouring the waiver wire for a running back.

Yes, the leaves will fall on your lawn, clog your gutters, and drift away from even the most complicated anti-leaf barriers. Better to sit back and enjoy the colors of fall, and rake the leaves in a few weeks.

Besides - you could be the beneficiary of one of those gale-force winds that scours all of your loose leaves and deposits them on your neighbor's well-manicured lawn.